Newspaper and magazine rack



Oct. 9, 1956 LEE r 2,765,926

NEWSPAPER AND MAGAZINE RACK Filed Sept. 2, 1955.

INVENTORS Remus M.wuss \.a@ m.

? Twomms F1 LEE- ATTO 2H EYs 2,765,926 NEWSPAPER AND MAGAZINE RACKThomas F. Lee, Houston, and Rollie M. Wheeler, Jr., Port Arthur, Tex.

This invention relates to improvements in racks or holders fornewspapers, magazines, and the like.

The general desirability of a rack of the type stated is wellappreciated, and heretofore, it has been proposed to provide tubularholders, connectable to support posts in front of a house, for receivinga delivered newspaper. Other devices have also be conceived for thepurpose of receiving delivered magazines, mail, or newspapers, but inmany instances they do not function with full etficiency in supportingthe article in a manner to insure against its being torn, oralternatively, are diflicult to attach to the side or front of a houseor similar building, or to a fence post.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a generallyimproved newspaper or magazine rack, which can be manufactured at aminimum of cost, from a single length of spring wire, for holding suchas news papers in fiat condition and under tension.

A further object of importance is to provide a device of the characterindicated above which is especially devised for easy secure attachmentto and stable mounting on supports, such as a wall, a gate, a gate post,or the like.

Other objects of the invention will appear from the followingdescription, and the annexed drawings, in which like referencecharacters designate like parts throughout the several views, andwherein:

Figure l is a front perspective view of a rack formed according to thepresent invention;

Figure 2 a top plan view;

Figure 3 is a. rear elevational view; and

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view on line 44 of Figure 3.

The illustrate rack is formed from a single length of stout, relativelyrigid spring wire. The intermediate portion of said length of wire isbent to provide an inverted V-shaped holding member having a pair ofupwardly converging strai ht legs 1% merging at their upper ends into aforwardly and downwardly curved handle loop 12.

At their lower ends the legs merge into short, horizontally disposedrearwardly extending arms 14 which merge at their rear ends into thelower ends of single vertical rear legs 16. The legs 16, as shown inFigure 3, converge slightly in an upward direction, and the upper endsof the legs 16 are spaced from opposite sides of the handle loop 12, andare on a level slightly above the handle loop 12.

At their upper ends the rear legs 16 merge into downwardly and laterallyinwardly declining arms 18, which mer e at their lower ends intolaterally outwardly projectin" substantially horizontal arms 20 providedon their free ends with attaching eyes 22. As shown in Figures 2 and 3,the lower portions of the arms 18 and the inner ends of the arms 29extend across the rear sides of the related front legs in and are spacedfrom each other crosswise of the device. The eyes 22 are locateddirectly 2,765,926 Patented Oct. 9, 1956 holding member and theabutments.

The abutments 21 are spaced from each other crosswise of the device.

In use of the device, screws 24 or the like are adapted to be extendedthrough the eyes 22, to secure the device fixedly against the a house,gate post, or the like. When the device is secured in this manner, anarticle such as a magazine or newspaper can be placed therein, bypulling forwardly on the handle loop 12, that is, to the right in Figure4. This swings the legs 10 forwardly from the abutments 21 and from thesupporting surface S, so as to provide sufficient space between theholding member and the abutments 21 for reception of an article, withthe article resting upon the short arms 14.

The wire used in forming the device has a slightly springablecharacteristic, suflicicnt to permit the legs 10 to be pulled forwardlyagainst the inherent spring tension thereof, and when the handle loop 12is released, the holding member returns toward the abutments 21 and therear legs 16 as to clamp the article therebetween. It is to be observedthat only rounded or fiat surfaces are in engagement with the article,both during the insertion and the removal thereof from the rack. articlewill not be torn when it is removed or inserted, and yet, whilesupported in the device, is firmly gripped to prevent its accidentalremoval.

it is believed apparent that the invention is not necessarily confinedto the specific use or uses thereof described above since it may beutilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the inventionto be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated anddescribed, since such construction is only intended to be illustrativeof the principles it being considered that the invention comprehends anyminor change in construction that may be permitted within the scope ofthe appended claims;

What is claimed is:

1. In a rack of the character described, a holding member comprising apair of front legs having lower ends and upper ends, a handle loopconnecting and extending forwardly from the upper ends of the frontlegs, rearwardly extending horizontal arms on the lower ends of thefront legs, said horizontal arms having rear ends, vertical rear legshaving upper ends and lower ends, the rear ends of the horizontal armsbeing secured to the lower ends of the rear legs, the upper ends of therear legs being laterally spaced from said handle loop, laterallyinwardly and downwardly declining arms on the upper ends of the reararms, said declining arms having lower ends disposed behind said frontlegs, lateral outwardly projecting arms on the lower ends of thedeclining arms, said lateral arms having free laterally outward endshaving attaching eyes thereon disposed behind the rear legs.

2. In a rack of the character described, a holding member comprising apair of front legs having lower ends and upper ends, a handle loopconnecting and extending forwardly from the upper ends of the frontlegs, rearwardly extending horizontal arms on the lower ends of thefront legs, said horizontal arms having rear ends, vertical rear legshaving upper ends and lower ends, the rear ends of the horizontal armsbeing secured to the lower ends of the rear legs, the upper ends of therear legs being laterally spaced from said handle loop, laterallyinwardly and downwardly declining arms on the upper ends of the reararms, said declining arms having lower ends disposed behind said frontlegs, lateral outwardly projecting arms on the lower ends of thedeclining arms, said lateral arms having free laterally outward endshaving attaching eyes thereon disposed behind the rear legs, juncturesconnecting the lower ends of the declining arms with said lateral arms,said junctures constituting abutments, said holding member beingyieldably and rearwardly tensioned toward said abutments.

3. In a rack of the character described, a holding member comprising apair of front legs having lower ends and upper ends, a handle loopconnecting and extending forwardly from the upper ends of the frontlegs, rearwardly extending horizontal arms on the lower ends of thefront legs, said horizontal arms having rear ends, vertical rear legshaving upper ends and lower ends, the rear ends of the horizontal armsbeing secured to the lower ends of the rear legs, the upper ends of therear legs being laterally spaced from said handle loop, laterallyinwardly and downwardly declining arms on the upper ends of the reararms, said declining arms having lower ends disposed behind said frontlegs, lateral outwardly projecting arms on the lower ends of thedeclining arms, said lateral arms having free laterally outward endshaving attaching eyes thereon disposed behind the rear legs, juncturesconnecting the lower ends of the declining arms with said lateral arms,said junctures constituting abutments, said holding member beingyieldably and rearwardly tensioned toward said abutments, said decliningarms and said lateral arms being angulated in forward and laterallyinward directions out of the plane of said rear legs.

4. In a rack of the character described, a holding member comprising apair of front legs having lower ends and upper ends, a handle loopconnecting and extending forwardly from the upper ends of the frontlegs, rearwardly extending horizontal arms on the lower ends of thefront legs, said horizontal arms having rear ends, vertical rear legshaving upper ends and lower ends, the rear ends of the horizontal armsbeing secured to the lower ends of the rear legs, the upper ends of therear legs being laterally spaced from said handle loop, laterallyinwardly and downwardly declining arms on the upper ends of the reararms, said declining arms having lower ends disposed behind said frontlegs, lateral outwardly projecting arms on the lower ends of thedeclining arms, said lateral arms having free laterally outward endshaving attaching eyes thereon disposed behind the rear legs, juncturesconnecting the lower ends of the declining arms with said lateral arms,said junctures constituting abutments, said holding member beingyieldably and rearwardly tensioned toward said abutments, the front legsof said holding member being normally rearwardly inclined with respectto said rear legs.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS292,621 Berg Jan. 29, 1884 433,114 Woodbridge July 29, 1890 701,655Widenhofer June 3, 1902 1,373,988 Wallick Apr. 5, 1921 1,498,265 EckertJune 17, 1924

